A look at how the national media covered Liverpool’s 4-4 draw with Southampton on the final day of the Premier League season.
Liverpool season ‘unacceptable’ - Daily Mail
Isaan Khan of the Daily Mail joked how Liverpool made Southampton look like a different side to the one who finished 20th. There was also a nod towards James Milner and Roberto Firmino’s emotional farewell, with the former being given the armband.
“One had to double check the crest on the home team’s shirt as to how, and why, they were performing so well in some periods of the match,” he wrote. “Their forwards took each and every chance. It gave the fans at least something to boast about, and James Ward-Prowse and Theo Walcott a fitting send-off.
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“The Reds eventually levelled, but for them, it was largely all about the two men signing off one final time. James Milner was given the captain’s armband on his 619th Premier League appearance; Firmino was handed his 362nd.
“The pair are adored by these supporters, and rightly so; the Premier League and Champions League are among their garlanded trophy haul.
“Their ovation at full-time at least glossed over, for one day, a decidedly underwhelming campaign which has seen Liverpool fail to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2016. That is unacceptable in these parts, and Jurgen Klopp knows so.”
Saints went out with a band - Sky Sports
Sky Sports preferred to focus on Southampton’s ability to go down fighting - rather than Liverpool’s defensive mishaps. The Saints have known their fate since May 13 and were rock bottom for most of the Premier League campaign.
“Saints' fate was sealed way before the final day, their relegation confirmed two weeks ago,” Laura Hunter wrote. “But they were intent on departing with a bang, fighting back from two goals down before going 4-2 up in a bonkers, but brilliant, 90 minutes of football.
“Liverpool raced into a two-goal lead inside 14 minutes thanks to strikes from Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino - the latter marking his fond farewell from the club with goals in back-to-back fixtures, having also rescued a draw at Anfield against Aston Villa last time out.
“Outgoing manager Ruben Selles must have delivered a rousing half-time talk because Saints re-emerged buoyant, stunning Liverpool with another Sulemana scalp - only his second goal since arriving in January - before Adam Armstrong found the net 49 seconds after entering the field from the substitute's bench.
“Cody Gakpo delivered a requisite reply for the visitors in the 72nd minute, tapping home from a sumptuous Trent Alexander-Arnold volleyed cross, paving the way for Jota to have the final say less than 60 seconds later.”
Reds ‘blew’ the game at St Mary’s
The Independent preferred to focus on Liverpool surrendering a two-goal advantage rather than clawing the same deficit back late on. Ed Elliot wrote: “Liverpool blew a two-goal lead before battling back from 4-2 down to end an underwhelming Premier League season with a remarkable 4-4 draw at relegated Southampton.
“Quick-fire finishes from Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota salvaged a point for Jurgen Klopp’s side on a chaotic afternoon at St Mary’s. Saints had looked set to end a miserable campaign in style after Kamaldeen Sulemana’s brace and strikes from James Ward-Prowse and Adam Armstrong overturned early goals from Jota and Roberto Firmino.
“But Southampton’s final match under manager Ruben Selles, who is expected to be replaced by Swansea boss Russell Martin in the coming days, ended all square after Gakpo and Jota struck in the space of a minute.”
The ECHO verdict on a game that sums up a season
Here is what our man Paul Gorst had to say about the tie and the campaign: "Having regularly flitted between the sublime and the ridiculous across the last nine months, it was only fitting Liverpool did it one last time here at Southampton.
"A remarkable game that ebbed and flowed until the very last seconds ended in a 4-4 draw that, despite its ultimately meaningless nature, acted as a microcosm for much of what has been a difficult campaign at Anfield, but one that was still spliced with enough memorable moments to sustain plenty of optimism in the coming months."
His report added: "A new sporting director is on his way in Jorg Schmadtke and a big-spending window is needed to properly rejuvenate a squad of players who have given so much to their manager and supporters in recent years. The Anfield Road development is now also into its final weeks and if the stars align over the summer, there is still much to eagerly anticipate as a fresh chapter prepares to be written.
"There's a new era rapidly approaching, Klopp's assertion that he and his staff can now 'start preparing the future' was an admission that he knows it as well as anyone and what happens between June and August - both on and off the field - will be imperative to seeing Liverpool hit the ground running when it is here. A massive close-season period now awaits."
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